When Life Hands You ScapelsCut Something
by Murgy31
Summary: Dr. Miranda Bailey is at a crossroads. She thought she had her life under control, but when life throws her a curve ball, she must reevaluate her life,love, and career. Bailey and Richard centric...other characters involved. Please read!
1. There was An Accident

A/N: Hi all! It has been forever since I have posted anything Grey's Anatomy. This story is going to be Bailey centered, but it will also feature the Chief and other characters. It is based off of Lay Your Hands on Me. All of this belongs to Shonda. I hope you enjoy…

A/N 2: This story is dedicated to my best friend Nikki who inspires me to write….:-D

**WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU SCAPELS…CUT SOMETHING**

_**Chapter 1: There Was an Accident**_

**VOICE OVER:**

_My mother always said __"__that which does not kill us makes us stronger__."__ I never realized the truth of this statement until today, if I had I probably would never have left the house. I got ready for work as usual, but I didn't realize that this da__y__would change __my life forever…_

Miranda Bailey, M.D. was in a hurry. Or is it Miranda Bailey, wife and mother? These days, she couldn't tell anymore. But the point was … she was in a hurry; there was no doubt about that as she frantically ran about the den signing bills that Tucker would need for the day. She left a note for the super of the building. She heard Tuck cry out on the monitor on the desk. _He must be awake_, she mused. She turned and walked out of the office. _Where is Tucker?_ she thought in exasperation, the baby's cries only adding to her agitation as she hurriedly made her way to the nursery.

She thought about her husband, slightly guilty about the irritation she felt just a few seconds ago. He had been distant and cold since she had missed their lunch last week. There was a time in her life when Tucker had been her whole world. She was able to manage the hospital and her marriage, but not so much anymore. Miranda was lost in her thoughts as she entered her son's room.

"Hey there, cutie pie," Miranda cooed. She chuckled to herself. If her interns,_ I should say residents. _She mused, could see her now. They would never believe that the Nazi was talking baby talk. She lifted a freshly changed and dressed Tuck off his changing table and carried him to the kitchen.

Tuck was securely sitting in his high chair and Miranda had just gotten done feeding him when Tucker entered the kitchen carrying a laundry basket.

"Well, there you are," Miranda said, a little pointedly. "Where have you been?" she distractedly acknowledged his presence as she wiped the baby's chin.

Tucker made no move to answer her. He just silently fumed at her as he folded laundry. He stuffed the laundry in the basket furiously, barely looking at her, much less making conversation.

Miranda sighed audibly. "I have no patience for this, Tucker." She leaned down to give Tuck a gentle kiss. "I have to go to the hospital."

"Figures you would leave now, Miranda," Tucker spat out. "This is our marriage we are talking about."

Bailey's eyes narrowed dangerously as she studied her husband. _Why does he have to do this now?_ "Do not make me feel guilty about being a good doctor."

"A good doctor is all you seem to be these days," he yelled back. Miranda's eyes widened in shock and she turned on her heel and walked out the door.

Miranda walked into the hospital twenty minutes later, still in shock from her husband's outburst. _How could he do that to me? I thought he understood me. I thought he understood the demands of the job. I guess I was wrong. _She was so lost in thought that she walked right into Chief Webber, sending her and her charts flying to the ground with a 'thump'.

"Miranda!" Richard exclaimed, shocked that he had knocked the woman to the ground. He bent down to help her up. They both then picked up the charts. "Are you all right, Dr. Bailey?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Chief," Bailey replied. "I'm sorry I didn't see you."

"That's o.k.," he replied. Richard didn't have time to continue because both their pagers went off, so they took off down the hall at a run.

They reached the room of Dr. Bailey's patient, only to find a woman standing over him with her hands over his heart, softly murmuring something Bailey and the Chief could not understand.

"What is going on here?" Miranda questioned. "Who are you and what are you doing to my patient?"

The woman smiled kindly at Dr. Bailey. "My name is Elizabeth Archer, but you can call me Liza." She paused for a moment, looking at the man she had just healed. "Mr. Grenwuld was in distress, and now he's not."

Miranda eyed Liza curiously. _Mr. Grenwuld should be dead. _She thought. _How did she bring him out of V-__Tack_She was brought out of her thoughts by the ringing of her phone. She took it out of her pocket and looked at the caller id. _Tucker. _ She let the call go to voicemail. She turned her attention to the resident that just entered the room.

"Dr. Karev," She began sternly. "Please tell me why your cardio patient is out of bed and healing my cardio patient."

Alex swallowed. "I just lost her for a second. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't, Karev," Bailey replied sternly. She bustled out of the room, with the chief following close behind her.

"Miranda," The Chief called after her. "What in the hell happened back there?"

"I have no i…" Miranda was interrupted by her ringing phone once again.

"Are you going to get that?" The chief asked exasperatedly.

"What do you want, Tucker," Miranda screamed into the phone, as her pager went off. She rushed off towards the ER. "I told you not to bother me at work unless it's an emergenc…" Her sentence ended there and she almost dropped to her knees, as she watched her baby boy being wheeled into the emergency room.

"There was an accident…" Tucker said.

_**TBC: Soon I promise….I plan to write one chapter per week…Please feel free to review…I only ask that you not flame the story…Thanks so much.**_


	2. Save My Son

A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers. You know who you are! This story is going to follow Canon somewhat for this chapter then I intend for it to be AU.

The characters belong to Shonda… The story is mine…

_Last time on When Life Hands You __Scalpels_

"Miranda," The Chief called after her. "What in the hell happened back there?"

"I have no i…" Miranda was interrupted by her ringing phone once again.

"Are you going to get that?" The chief asked exasperatedly.

"What do you want, Tucker," Miranda screamed into the phone, as her pager went off. She rushed off towards the ER. "I told you not to bother me at work unless it's an emergenc…" Her sentence ended there and she almost dropped to her knees, as she watched her baby boy being wheeled into the emergency room.

"There was an accident…" Tucker said.

_AND ON TO CHAPTER TWO…_

**Chapter 2: Save My Son**

_Voice Over:_

_Nothing in life can ever prepare you for the wave of emotion that hits you when your child is hurt. It's like a __tidal__ wave that crashes onto the shore. It slowly envelops the people standing on the shore watching the sunset. __It cascades over you, filling every fiber of your being with darkness. It threatens the very air you breathe…_

Miranda felt like she was hit by a tidal wave. She stood in shock for what seemed like days, but in reality was only a second, rooted to her spot, staring at her husband, silently begging him for answers. Richard broke her out of her silent reverie.

"Dr. Bailey, move out of the way," Richard implored, rushing past her to get a better look at Tuck. He had to get closer. He had to help Miranda in some small way.

Derek had already done a Neuro workup, so at least we knew that there was no head injury. Hahn would have to be called, his chest looked crushed. Richard glared at Tucker, asking silently the question on everyone's mind. _What the hell happened?_

Miranda snapped out of it and rushed over to Tucker, grabbing his forearm with her hand. "What happened Tucker?" Miranda asked tightly. "More importantly, _how_ did this happen?"

Tucker was tired of being blamed for everything and he was more tired of coming second, third, or even fourth in Miranda's life. "I turned my back for a moment Randi, and the next thing I knew he was trapped under the bookcase." He said in frustration, shaking her.

"How did he even get in the living room," Bailey screamed. "Why weren't you watching him?"

"I was watching him, but the gate to the living room was open," Tucker shot back.

Miranda dropped her hand from Tucker's arm, looking like she had just been slapped. "Are you saying that this is _my_ fault?" Miranda whispered. Tucker didn't reply, so she moved away in horror. She could not believe that her own husband would accuse her of such a thing. She turned around and moved to her son's side.

If this were any other case, Miranda would have been barking out orders to both the Attending and Residents, but this was not any other case, this was her baby. In this case, however, she vaguely followed the orders that were being shouted by Dr. Shepherd and Hahn. _I think they called for a CAT scan and a chest CT, but I'm really not sure. _She blindly followed the gurney carrying her baby down the hall towards the elevator, trying to pay attention to what everyone was saying, but she was fighting a losing battle. She was stopped at the door to CT and turned around, thoroughly confused.

Richard had waited, lagging behind everyone else so he could explain everything to Miranda. He had been watching her out of the corner of his eye, while he was treating Tuck. He knew she had missed his preliminary diagnosis, as she was so tuned into her own pain. He looked down at her and she looked so scared and lost, that his heart broke in two for her.

"Miranda," He began gently. "We have to do a head and chest CT to determine the extent of the damage, and then we can repair it."

"Is my baby going to die, Richard," She asked softly, almost afraid to voice her own thoughts.

Richard looked between her and Tucker before he replied confidently. "Not if I can help it." He gently squeezed her shoulders and walked into the CT room.

Miranda stood there silently for a few moments, wondering if she could have done anything differently. Richard came out a few moments later and explained to both of them that they would have to perform heart and lung surgery on Tucker to repair the damage from the fallen bookcase.

"Dr. Hahn is going to do the surgery," He explained. "She is the best and she will be able to fix the tear in the left ventricle and the collapsed lung."

Miranda breathed heavily and began to process everything that Richard was saying to her. Tuck would have to have surgery, and very dangerous surgery at that. She wasn't sure that she would make it if he didn't survive.

"Dr. Bailey, I have to go," Richard said. "Do you both understand?"

Tucker looked at Miranda in anticipation, when she did not reply, he simply said. "Go Chief."

Richard looked to Miranda, and at her nod, ran down the hall to the O.R. She followed him with her eyes and then started moving in the direction that Richard had gone.

"Miranda, wait," Tucker called out, but it was no use. She just glared at him and waved him off. There were two things that Tucker knew for sure. The first being, you didn't piss off Dr. Miranda Bailey, and the second being, if you did, you better stay the hell out of her way. He knew that he had hurt her with his comments, but at the time he didn't care. He wasn't sure that he cared now, but he did want his son to be all right. Everything would be fine, if Tuck made it through.

Miranda stood poised outside of the O.R. She would take down Meredith Grey with her bare hands if she had to. She needed to see her son. _I have to give the girl credit though. She is truly channeling her inner "Nazi". It makes me proud. _

"Get out of my way, Dr. Grey," Miranda said tightly.

"You can't go in there Dr. Bailey," Meredith implored.

"The hell I can't," She shot back and pushed past Meredith.

The scene that greeted Miranda took her breath away, as she stood watching Erica Hahn with both of her hands inside of her baby boy.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Erica said, her voice dripping in irritation.

"I won't get in the way, please," Miranda begged. "I just want to hold my son's hand."

"Absolutely not," Erica stated. "There is no way that I am operating with that woman in here."

"Please, I just want to hold my son's hand," She said, her voice breaking, the tears threatening to fall.

Richard knew Miranda well, and he knew she was close to the breaking point.

"Dr. Hahn, I think…," Richard started to say before being cut off by an irate Erica Hahn.

"No!" She spat out looking at Miranda. "Do you want me to talk to you, or do you want me to save your son?"

Miranda blanched at the implication, and was stunned into silence. The entire O.R. itself fell into silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"Miranda," Richard said softly.

She looked at Richard with wide eyes. "Of course I want you to save my son, but I'm his mother. I just want to hold his hand."

Meredith took in the scene before her. "I could hold his hand Dr. Bailey." Miranda looked at her in surprise. "I could stay and hold his hand and even talk to him." She grabbed Miranda's arm in reassurance. "He won't be alone, don't worry."

"There will be no talk…" Dr. Hahn started.

"Shut up Erica," Richard interrupted, sending a glare her way. "It will be fine, Miranda, Meredith can stay."

Miranda Bailey nodded and turned toward the door. She moved slowly toward the waiting room. The air around her felt heavy. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't face Tucker yet, not if this was her fault.

She went into an on call room and slowly sank to the floor. She didn't realize that all of the interns and attendings had watched her long walk up the hallway. She didn't realize that Derek had followed her into the on call room until she felt his arms around her waist, as he uncurled her and leaned back against the wall. She could only think of one thing. _She's a doctor, one of the best,__ a__ prime candidate for __C__hief of __S__urgery, currently __C__hief __R__esident__. She had__ thousands of hours practicing surgery, trained by world-renowned surgeons__ but__ not one of those credentials had prepared her or could prepare her for this moment … because at that precise moment, she wasn't Dr. Miranda Bailey, M.D, she was Miranda Bailey, wife and mother__ and her son needed her. All of her training and she couldn't save her son._

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I love them!


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